A scientific understanding of the theory and practice of development finance is central to our understanding of how global financial architecture emerges and evolves across developing, emerging and developed economies. The recent financial crisis has exposed major weaknesses in our understanding of how the elements that drive global finance operate. At the heart of this failure is the scientific world’s inability to develop appropriate scientific research in development finance theory and practice.

To help develop a credible and sustainable scientific platform for global development finance research, academics, researchers and development finance institutions around the world will be meeting in Cape Town on the 24-26 November 2010. The conference will be bringing together top development finance researchers around the world and will also be used to launch a new journal -Review of Development Finance- (RDF) which is published by Elsevier. The conference will focus (not exclusively) on the following: